1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to liquid beverage containers or drinking devices, such as sports bottles or containers for water storage, and particularly to liquid multi-use supply bottles and single and/or multi-use collapsible bags that replace today's bottled water containers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a filtering system constructed within a liquid beverage container.
2. Description of Related Art
The bottled water industry has grown to over $18 billion dollars and produces some 29 billion bottles in the U.S. alone. The bottles are constructed of non-biodegradable material that creates a serious environmental problem and consume large amounts of petroleum in their manufacture. Moreover, the shipping of bottled water is costly based on the weight and bulk of the product, and it is inconvenient for consumers to transport and store when the water itself is abundant at the destination locations. The present invention addresses these and other issues with bottled water, while retaining the ease of use for consumers.
In response to concerns about water quality, many people regularly purchase bottled water or filter their own water for their homes and offices, and will often fill unfaltering sports bottle type containers with the water from these sources. Filtering devices are sold worldwide in the form of carafes and faucet mounted and countertop filter units. Over the past several years, reusable bottles, containing internal filtering devices (most often carbon and other contaminant absorbers) have become a popular replacement for standard bottled water. These bottles and their caps vary somewhat in shape and size, but are of the same general shape and function.
Furthermore, in times of natural disaster, such as earthquakes, tsunami, floods, and the like, where clean, drinkable water is in scarce supply, there exists a need for compact, packable water filtering containers that can be easily delivered to remote, hard-to-access areas affected by the disaster. Light, collapsible filtering containers capable of being packaged in large quantities and delivered quickly would provide needed capability for filtered water in these affected areas.
In addition, travelers and campers could significantly benefit from a collapsible container that isn't filled until one arrives at their destination.
In recent years, personal bottles with integrated filters have been developed. These systems are primarily based on some type of carbon filtration and typically target the removal of taste and odor components from the water. There are a wide variety of different designs and a wide range of performance in these systems. Existing personal filtering bottles typically incorporate a filter media containing housing attached to the top of the bottle. They are removed from the bottle along with the top. Based on their position, the bottle must be inverted in order for water to be drawn from the bottle. Thus, filtering containers of the prior art are typically inverted-use applications, whereby the filtering container is inverted (topside down) for drinking and filtering purposes. This is a necessity given that the filter media resides at the top of the container, typically in the upper half, or in the cap portion. Examples of such designs can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,810,651 for Miga, Jr., entitled “Water Bottle with Filtration Feature,” and in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0055862 for Parekh, entitled “Filtering Water Bottle.” A common problem that arises in these designs is the inability to access all fluid from the bottle, since at low fluid levels, air is introduced as the bottle is inverted for drinking which defeats the suction or compression of the filtering container.